Catherine tagged me to do this meme, and it seemed kind-of fun. Though I wonder what I could come up with considering how young I am (read: no experience).

Here goes nothing.

Four Jobs I Have Had

1. I designed large advertising banners for a shop once. It took a lot of work; I remember feeling pressure --- from no one but myself, really --- to do well. It turned out all right, and the owners loved the stuff I came up with. The real reward came from the thrill of seeing those larger-than-life banners at the mall though.

2. I manned the redemption booth at an event once. The experience taught me to be nicer to salespeople, even if they were extremely rude. Being in their shoes made me realize how hard it was not to be rude after hundreds of people ask the same questions, and get upset when they don't like the answers. I remember how bad I felt after a particularly insulting customer left the premises.

I mean, I do know business isn't personal but yelling and cursing at sales personnel about how stupid they are seems to cross the line.

The job was great though; I learned a lot from it.

3. Linda talked about how every teen must have done a stint at McDonald's. I worked at Jollibee, a leading fast-food chain in my country, instead. I remember cleaning tables and welcoming people to the restaurant. I also remember my breaks vividly, and the egg sandwiches I often had at those times.

4. Then there was "the accounting nightmare". I was paid to organize six large cartons of papers into one neat spreadsheet. The papers spanned about four years and included receipts, bills, tax statements, and even the occasional violation. Nothing was in order, and almost everything was crumpled or printed in faded ink. I felt like I was practically swimming in old paper. Finishing this job was its own reward though; I remember staring at the mountains of paper and not believing I had actually gone through it all. I felt like I had climbed Mt. Everest.

Four Shows I Have Been To:

1. I ditched the backdrops I was painting for a high school play to watch Jars of Clay on an open field. The music was great; I sung along to a lot of my favorites. My friend, Ralph, and I were also right by the stage, and that made it more fun. I still remember how upset Ralph was about not being able to get the guitar pick the lead singer threw into the audience. I personally thought it was just a piece of plastic, and that being touched by the singer didn't turn said pick into the Holy Grail. I also knew that such a view wasn't shared by a lot of people.

I came home from that concert, and painted backdrops the whole night to make up for playing hooky. The music was good enough to make the drudgery worthwhile.

2. The first Broadway production I'd ever seen was The Phantom of The Opera. The show --- that whole trip to New York, actually --- was pretty memorable. I remember how fun it was to sit in that theater and just drown in the beautiful music. I also remember how annoying a certain Japanese tourist was with his unappreciative noises (read: exhausted snores) echoing from a seat nearby.

3. I watched an acrobatic show with fifty-or-so relatives in China two years back. The performers did amazing feats of strength and balance. They also managed to curl into frighteningly weird postures that made us cringe. I mean, really, if you saw three girls leaning over backwards with their heads poking out between their legs, what else would you do?


4. The O by Cirque du Soleil at Las Vegas was also something else. The music was haunting, and the performance was both mysterious and fun. I still remember how someone from the audience volunteered to be part of the program. He was hooked to a cable, and pulled up to the ceiling in about two seconds. He then proceeded to do his own thing which led everyone to realize he was a part of the show after all!

Four Cars I Have Had:

1. The first car I drove was a dark blue Honda Civic. Being a new driver (and a very bad one at that) resulted in me denting that car on every possible surface. The car was so banged-up that my sister was embarrassed to be seen in it. I remember scratching a guy's car with it, and then becoming good friends with that guy after having to meet and discuss how to go about the damage repeatedly.

And when I learned how to drive well, my parents had that car refurbished as a present. My sister's driving that vehicle now.

2. The next car I drove was (and still is) a silver Honda CR-V. It's brought me, my friends, and even my family members everywhere. It's been a makeshift locker for my college stuff (complete with possibly needed school supplies), and has weathered more mishaps better left to the insurance company. None of the succeeding accidents with cars were my fault, by the way.

Tooti and I are still trying to find a good nickname for my loyal means of transport. It's a girl, by the way. Any suggestions?

3. Does the car my parents used to bring me in count? The oldest one I remember was a small brown Nissan. I recall fine afternoons sleeping on the back seat. These were the same afternoons that involved going with my Mom to my favorite fast-food restaurant for some bonding-with-Mommy time.

4. I figured I might as well mention the newest car in my parents' possession: my Dad's black four-seater convertible. He always ribs me about how hard it is for me to get in said car. I guess I'm just clumsy, but I can never get through a ride on it without banging one of my legs on the door. But it's fun driving through a windy night with the top down, a breeze blowing through my hair, and the stars twinkling when I happen to look up.

Four Favorite Foods:

1. Monggo Soup (better known as Mung Bean Soup) is one of the few vegetarian dishes I really love. It's basically small monggos boiled with water until they crack open. It's very filling, and delightful on a rainy day. It's a bit like lentil soup, actually.

2. I love fresh salmon sashimi. The raw fish tastes so good, and slides down my throat in a nice way. I could pop about fifteen pieces into my mouth without getting tired of it. I don't even dip these babies in sauce; I like the fishy taste.

3. Tortellini is something I really enjoy. I had the chance to have it in Rome a few months back, and it was awesome. No one really makes tortellini where I come from, so it was a rare treat.


4. I couldn't go through a list like this without mentioning my maternal grandmother's pork soup with potatoes. It was a pretty simple dish; she often let it cook in a crockpot while she did other things. Still, that first taste I got of home cooking --- no one ever cooked in our house --- was amazing. I used to have three or four bowls of it heaping with rice for lunch back in first grade. I do believe eating so much of this indirectly resulted in how chubby I was back then.

I'd like to tag the following people, but only if they want to do it. I'm not forcing any of you.

- Cookie
- Sister In Conflict (and yes, I do know who you are now LOL)
- Hubby
- Finella
- Elfie
- Claire
- Kat
- Tooti

That was fun!

Catherine tagged me to do this meme, and it seemed kind-of fun. Though I wonder what I could come up with considering how young I am (read: no experience).

Here goes nothing.

Four Jobs I Have Had

1. I designed large advertising banners for a shop once. It took a lot of work; I remember feeling pressure --- from no one but myself, really --- to do well. It turned out all right, and the owners loved the stuff I came up with. The real reward came from the thrill of seeing those larger-than-life banners at the mall though.

2. I manned the redemption booth at an event once. The experience taught me to be nicer to salespeople, even if they were extremely rude. Being in their shoes made me realize how hard it was not to be rude after hundreds of people ask the same questions, and get upset when they don't like the answers. I remember how bad I felt after a particularly insulting customer left the premises.

I mean, I do know business isn't personal but yelling and cursing at sales personnel about how stupid they are seems to cross the line.

The job was great though; I learned a lot from it.

3. Linda talked about how every teen must have done a stint at McDonald's. I worked at Jollibee, a leading fast-food chain in my country, instead. I remember cleaning tables and welcoming people to the restaurant. I also remember my breaks vividly, and the egg sandwiches I often had at those times.

4. Then there was "the accounting nightmare". I was paid to organize six large cartons of papers into one neat spreadsheet. The papers spanned about four years and included receipts, bills, tax statements, and even the occasional violation. Nothing was in order, and almost everything was crumpled or printed in faded ink. I felt like I was practically swimming in old paper. Finishing this job was its own reward though; I remember staring at the mountains of paper and not believing I had actually gone through it all. I felt like I had climbed Mt. Everest.

Four Shows I Have Been To:

1. I ditched the backdrops I was painting for a high school play to watch Jars of Clay on an open field. The music was great; I sung along to a lot of my favorites. My friend, Ralph, and I were also right by the stage, and that made it more fun. I still remember how upset Ralph was about not being able to get the guitar pick the lead singer threw into the audience. I personally thought it was just a piece of plastic, and that being touched by the singer didn't turn said pick into the Holy Grail. I also knew that such a view wasn't shared by a lot of people.

I came home from that concert, and painted backdrops the whole night to make up for playing hooky. The music was good enough to make the drudgery worthwhile.

2. The first Broadway production I'd ever seen was The Phantom of The Opera. The show --- that whole trip to New York, actually --- was pretty memorable. I remember how fun it was to sit in that theater and just drown in the beautiful music. I also remember how annoying a certain Japanese tourist was with his unappreciative noises (read: exhausted snores) echoing from a seat nearby.

3. I watched an acrobatic show with fifty-or-so relatives in China two years back. The performers did amazing feats of strength and balance. They also managed to curl into frighteningly weird postures that made us cringe. I mean, really, if you saw three girls leaning over backwards with their heads poking out between their legs, what else would you do?


4. The O by Cirque du Soleil at Las Vegas was also something else. The music was haunting, and the performance was both mysterious and fun. I still remember how someone from the audience volunteered to be part of the program. He was hooked to a cable, and pulled up to the ceiling in about two seconds. He then proceeded to do his own thing which led everyone to realize he was a part of the show after all!

Four Cars I Have Had:

1. The first car I drove was a dark blue Honda Civic. Being a new driver (and a very bad one at that) resulted in me denting that car on every possible surface. The car was so banged-up that my sister was embarrassed to be seen in it. I remember scratching a guy's car with it, and then becoming good friends with that guy after having to meet and discuss how to go about the damage repeatedly.

And when I learned how to drive well, my parents had that car refurbished as a present. My sister's driving that vehicle now.

2. The next car I drove was (and still is) a silver Honda CR-V. It's brought me, my friends, and even my family members everywhere. It's been a makeshift locker for my college stuff (complete with possibly needed school supplies), and has weathered more mishaps better left to the insurance company. None of the succeeding accidents with cars were my fault, by the way.

Tooti and I are still trying to find a good nickname for my loyal means of transport. It's a girl, by the way. Any suggestions?

3. Does the car my parents used to bring me in count? The oldest one I remember was a small brown Nissan. I recall fine afternoons sleeping on the back seat. These were the same afternoons that involved going with my Mom to my favorite fast-food restaurant for some bonding-with-Mommy time.

4. I figured I might as well mention the newest car in my parents' possession: my Dad's black four-seater convertible. He always ribs me about how hard it is for me to get in said car. I guess I'm just clumsy, but I can never get through a ride on it without banging one of my legs on the door. But it's fun driving through a windy night with the top down, a breeze blowing through my hair, and the stars twinkling when I happen to look up.

Four Favorite Foods:

1. Monggo Soup (better known as Mung Bean Soup) is one of the few vegetarian dishes I really love. It's basically small monggos boiled with water until they crack open. It's very filling, and delightful on a rainy day. It's a bit like lentil soup, actually.

2. I love fresh salmon sashimi. The raw fish tastes so good, and slides down my throat in a nice way. I could pop about fifteen pieces into my mouth without getting tired of it. I don't even dip these babies in sauce; I like the fishy taste.

3. Tortellini is something I really enjoy. I had the chance to have it in Rome a few months back, and it was awesome. No one really makes tortellini where I come from, so it was a rare treat.


4. I couldn't go through a list like this without mentioning my maternal grandmother's pork soup with potatoes. It was a pretty simple dish; she often let it cook in a crockpot while she did other things. Still, that first taste I got of home cooking --- no one ever cooked in our house --- was amazing. I used to have three or four bowls of it heaping with rice for lunch back in first grade. I do believe eating so much of this indirectly resulted in how chubby I was back then.

I'd like to tag the following people, but only if they want to do it. I'm not forcing any of you.

- Cookie
- Sister In Conflict (and yes, I do know who you are now LOL)
- Hubby
- Finella
- Elfie
- Claire
- Kat
- Tooti

That was fun!